THOUSANDS of childcare workers may be walking off the job today in their fight for higher wages, but parents across the Central West will not be impacted. From 1pm, 7000 childcare workers from 350 centres across Australia will walk out in protest over the sector’s wage crisis. The strike action will be the union’s fourth walk off in 18 months. In NSW, 29 centres across Sydney, Illawarra and the South Coast will be impacted with workers travelling to attend a rally in Martin Place on Wednesday afternoon. United Voice, the workers’ union, states on its website that centres will start to close from lunchtime on Wednesday so educators can attend political rallies around Australia. This, it said, will send a message to the government that “time is up on the sector’s gender pay gap”. Union assistant national secretary Helen Gibbons said: “Educators around Australia will take unprecedented action this Wednesday and walk off for the fourth time in 18 months, to say time is up on this gender pay gap.” Some childcare workers are paid just $22 an hour.

Childcare workers strike over low pay

ON STRIKE: Thousands of childcare workers will walk off the job today over claims of low pay. Photo: FILE

THOUSANDS of childcare workers may be walking off the job today in their fight for higher wages, but parents across the Central West will not be impacted.

From 1pm, 7000 childcare workers from 350 centres across Australia will walk out in protest over the sector’s wage crisis.

The strike action will be the union’s fourth walk off in 18 months.

In NSW, 29 centres across Sydney, Illawarra and the South Coast will be impacted with workers travelling to attend a rally in Martin Place on Wednesday afternoon.

United Voice, the workers’ union, states on its website that centres will start to close from lunchtime on Wednesday so educators can attend political rallies around Australia.

This, it said, will send a message to the government that “time is up on the sector’s gender pay gap”.

Union assistant national secretary Helen Gibbons said: “Educators around Australia will take unprecedented action this Wednesday and walk off for the fourth time in 18 months, to say time is up on this gender pay gap.”